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Critics blast ‘Farmland’

"Farmland" has all the ingredients of a winning film. From its award-winning director to its authentic cast, the movie should have been a breath of fresh, country air.

It’s been two weeks since the film made its national – albeit limited – debut. Despite earning glowing reviews among many audiences, these praises are silenced by vocal critics left panning both the movie and agricultural industry.

Here’s a look at just some of the criticism published online:

Quote from Review

Critic/Site

Rating

“’Farmland’ is essentially just masquerading as an actual documentary. In reality, it's a glossy corporate infomercial for American agribusiness.”

This week, USFRA President Randy Krotz directly addressed criticism the group and film have received.

“Films are funded every day by organizations with an interest in the subject matter – your favorite Hollywood zombie blockbuster was funded by some organization, and so was the last issues-based documentary you watched. This is not new and not revolutionary – it’s merely a red herring to stop the conversation before it begins,” he said.

Krotz continued, adding that “whenever you try to change the conversation, you encounter pushback from those maintaining the status quo.”

Who are audiences listening to? If comments left on these online reviews are any indication, movie-goers are willing to give it a try for themselves.

“See the documentary anyway. Then make up your own mind. USFRA may have paid for it, but James Moll had free reign in production and he is no ‘Big Ag’ mouth piece. Will the reviewer’s opinion change when Moll is nominated for an Oscar?” one movie-goer questioned of Cheshire’s review.